The
ChilliwackRiver
is found to the southeast of the City of
Chilliwack, approximately one hour east of
Vancouver,
British
Columbia. The river
itself spans a distance of 45 kilometres from its headwaters above
ChilliwackLake
to Vedder Crossing, where the Chilliwack
then drains into the VedderRiver, onto the SumasRiver, and eventually to its confluence with the mighty
Fraser. The ChilliwackRiver
watershed is the largest drainage in the northwest
CascadeMountain range and has a catchment area of over 1,230 square
kilometres. The southern portion of the watershed is protected
within NorthCascadesNational
Park in
WashingtonState. The northern portion of the watershed can be defined by
the ChilliwackRiverValley; a sparsely populated stretch of floodplain surrounded
by steep mountainous slopes and glaciated peaks. The area’s
proximity to major urban centres in the Greater Vancouver area and
FraserValley, make this area a prime destination for recreational
users. The river itself is known to support the largest volume of
recreational use of any other river system in
British
Columbia.

Community

The
ChilliwackRiverValley community is defined by several residential hamlets.
These include developments at Baker Trails –
McFaud
Road, Edwards
Road, Bell Acres and SlessePark.
Settlement can be defined as rural residential or recreational and
residential trailer parks. A recreational subdivision at Post Creek
near ChilliwackLake
is the most easterly development in the area.
Chilliwack Lake
Road is the main
transportation corridor through the valley and commercial
developments, in general, are confined to this route. First nation
history in the valley is evidential through old settlement sites and
cultural sites, trail networks and place names. The Sto:lo peoples
are known to have lived and occupied this area for thousands of
years. The Soowahlie First Nation occupies approximately 1,200 acres
in the area south of Vedder Crossing and east of
CultusLake.

Ecology

The
ChilliwackRiverValley is a glaciated u-shaped valley with a flat floor bounded
by steep sloping uplands and glaciated ridges. The climate is
transitional between warm and wet maritime and colder continental.
Drainage is influenced largely by heavy winter rains and spring snow
melts.

Forests in the Chilliwack River
Watershed are dominated by Douglas fir and Western red cedar. Alpine
areas include Mountain hemlock and Yellow cypress, and are
interspersed with patches of alpine tundra and meadows. Upland
slopes and riparian forests include Mountain hemlock, Western
hemlock, Sitka
spruce and Lodgepole pine with deciduous associations of Broad-leaf
maple, Red alder and Cottonwood. Vine
maple, Bitter Cherry, Red-osier dogwood and Nootka rose are also
commonly found. Forestry is a significant economic activity in the
watershed.

Wildlife of special concern
found commonly in the watershed include Spotted owl, Bald eagle,
Western screech owl, Black bear, Black-tailed deer, Mountain goat,
Coastal giant salamander, Pacific water shrew and Marbled murrelet.
Threatened species’ Mountain beaver, Keen’s long-eared bat and
long-tailed weasel are also known to frequent the area. Grizzly bear
and Roosevelt Elk are infrequently observed in the watershed, but
are known to the area in small numbers.

The
ChilliwackRiver
is highly valued for its fisheries values and has long been
recognized as the most heavily fished river in the Province. All
five species of salmon use the river system for spawning and rearing
and the river supports one of the most productive steelhead
fisheries in British
Columbia.Other fish species found in
the ChilliwackRiver
and its tributaries include Mountain whitefish, Rainbow trout,
Kokanee trout, Dolly Varden char and Bull trout.

Issues

The sustainability of the
Chilliwack River Watershed is under growing pressure due to
conflicting resource use and activity, high demands for recreation
and development, and impacts to water quality and riparian habitat
from various land use and water use activities. Conflicting
interests and a lack of clear jurisdictional responsibility to
address these issues has resulted in the need for the many agencies
and interest groups to come together. This has resulted in the
formation of a pro-active, multi-jurisdictional committee that is
working cooperatively toward the development of a Strategy for the
Chilliwack River Watershed. This Atlas is a product of this
initiative.